Golden Gate Park
by carmen-085
Summary: He stared down at the dark, swirling water under the bridge. He couldn't sleep, barely ate, and didn't dare close his eyes. They were always there; the men who lived, the men who died, and her. In the beginning she was nothing but before he knew she had become everything. Liebgott x OC
1. Chapter 1

"**Golden Gate Park" **

**Author: **carmen_085

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any Band of Brothers characters. All original characters in this belong to me

**Summary: **He stared down at the dark, swirling water under the bridge. He couldn't sleep, barely ate, and didn't dare close his eyes. They were always there; the men who lived, the men who died, and her. In the beginning she was nothing but before he knew she had become everything. Liebgott x OC

**Author's Note:** Never wrote for Band of Brothers, didn't even know people wrote for this until a few weeks ago. Enjoy! And let me know what you think

**Chapter One **

Leaning his elbows against the railing, the man took a long drag on his cigarette as he stared out at the bay. It was another impossibly foggy day in San Francisco. At times it felt like the gray dullness of the city was never ending. Cold drizzle hit his face as he gazed out into the white haze. His eyes looked at nothing in particular but behind their dark irises he saw everything. Every fucking thing; over and over. Looking down at his hands on the orange railing his vision flashed white as he saw Tipper staggering out of that building, blown to bits. It should have been him…

'_You wait here Lieb…' Both mean leaned against the building, the fucking ground exploding with Kraut artillery fire. 'I' m going to clear this building, make sure none of them run out behind me…' He didn't think about it, it was another decision in a shit load of potentially bad decisions they made every second of every day. No time to think about it; just do it. He leaned against the brick, his rifle up and pointed at the door. Someone behind him yelled his name and when he turned around he saw a white light coming toward him. From behind, a pair of hands yanked him back and before his brain could even remember how to form a single word it was over. Getting up to his feet he scrambled toward the store. Maybe he got out the back, maybe he was upstairs, maybe…._

'_Lieb?' Out of the dust and haze Tipper staggered toward him. Lowering his rifle to the ground his arms immediately went out to his injured friend. He couldn't look at him but he also couldn't look away. And worse than that, there was nothing he could do. Not a fucking thing. Tipper didn't die that day, but he lost his eye, half his foot, and spent the rest of war laying in a military hospital. _

Blinking he dropped the cigarette, watching as it tumbled end over end into the dark, icy water below. Behind him a car honked its horn as traffic rumbled past headed toward Marin and north to wine country. When he was 'over there' he didn't think much about home, well not when he could help it. But when he got back, it suddenly occurred to him that life had gone…had always been going on. Even when he was fighting the war, when his brothers were dying and their blood spilled all over goddamned Europe. Life was still happening here, people were going to plays, having Sunday dinner, and drinking expensive wine in Napa Valley. They didn't know the price being paid for those freedoms and they never would. And it really fucking pissed him off. Lighting another cigarette he took an angry drag as the hot smoke burned his lungs. Looking at the fine white haze his eyes slipped closed for just a second.

_Snow fell all around as he leaned his head against the cold, frozen earth. He was going to freeze to death out here, he could feel it. His helmet knocked against his skull as he shivered uncontrollably. They had been out here for three weeks…three goddamn weeks in his frozen hell. He hadn't felts his feet in almost a week, his fingers in the last two days, and his lips since last night. Frozen dirt slid down the side of his shitty Army peacoat as another body came to rest next to him. His eyes were closed trying to concentrate on anything besides the cold. He didn't need to open them to know who was next to him. Despite being almost frozen solid, a familiar warmth bloomed in his chest as she snaked her arm around his cuddling close. Her cold nose rested against his cheek as her chin balanced on his trembling shoulder. Leaning his face into her he let out a strangled sigh of relief. _

'_It's a warm, sunny day. Not a chance of rain. A tug boat comes under the bridge and blows his horn to the guys at Crissy Field. You smell the salt in the air and nothing can be wrong.' He let out a soft laugh, this had become a favorite game of theirs. Wonderful and soul crushing at the same time. She had been nothing to him at first, less than nothing if he let himself be truthful. But she had been there through it all; her eyes had seen all the same things his had. They understood each other beyond understanding. Someone so special, so important to him had been right there his whole life. They had both grown up in San Francisco although it took a bunch of Japs and traipsing halfway around the world to really find each other. _

"_INCOMING…" Without thinking he pushed her down deep in the foxhole laying over top of her as the ground quaked under Kraut artillery. Trees exploded as he felt branches rain down on top of them. It was so loud….they could hear nothing except the whirring sound of explosives in the air. Squeezing her tighter he pressed his face against hers as their rough and ragged breathing filled the space between them with hot air. _

_When the shelling stopped they laid there for a moment; chests heaving against each other. His ears were still ringing as he heard the first strangled cry for a medic. It was just one but then it quickly multiplied until the entire forest echoed the same plea for help. Before he could think, she rolled out from under him and was gone. Clawing his fingers into the cold dirt he crawled out of the foxhole, a keen sense of dread deep inside him. The sudden surge of adrenaline made his legs move faster than he thought possible as he neared a few men gathered around staring at the ground. Through the legs of the men he could see the snow stained red as her trembling hands hovered over something she dared not touch. A few feet away he saw Malarkey on his hands and knees; his forehead pressed into the rough bark of a tree as he heaved uncontrollably. His pale fingers fisting handfuls of snow in desperation to hold onto something…anything. _

"_Fuck…" In front of him Luz abruptly turned on his heel, pushing past him as he walked no place in particular. There was no place to go. Looking back, he felt all the air whoosh out of his lungs. Wincing, he reflexively averted his gaze away. There on the ground were Muck and Penkala; blown into so many parts it was hard to figure out who was who. Their young, perfect faces stared up at the snowy sky twisted in permanent agony. _

_He could hear her breathing over everyone else, ragged and on the verge of hysteria. Pushing up to her feet she stared at her bloody hands before turning without a word. His eyes remained downcast as he heard her footsteps get faster and faster until they disappeared into the woods. The agonizing scream that followed caused him to jerk as he pinched his eyes shut. He didn't hope or pray or wish because they were far beyond that. He just stood there, clutching the strap of his rifle and staring at the blackness behind his eyelids. _

Exhaling a cloud of smoke he opened his eyes. His knuckles were white as he squeezed the railing so hard it hurt. Leaning forward he rested his head against the cool metal, the cigarette nearly burnt down to nothing as it fell from his quivering lips into the churning water below. After Muck and Penkala were blown to shit in that foxhole, after Compton lost his mind, after Toye and Guarnere had two good legs between them, and after he stood by helpless as she rubbed her bloodied hands raw with snow and ice….After all that he thought he saw everything; that the war couldn't throw anything else at him. He thought, foolishly, that the worst was behind him. And then he realized he knew nothing, had been through nothing, and that the worst was yet to come.

_Staring down at his boots he felt a familiar sense of dread build in the pit of is stomach. Perco was a Toccoa man, had seen and done it all, nothing rattled him. But when he came running back into town the only word to describe him was rattled. They were going to check out something in the woods; it seemed simple enough. But as the truck got closer he began to smell something so strange it was hard to place. It smelled sweet and sickening at the same time; like fruit that had been left to rot in the hot summer sun. She was next to him, like always. The warmth of her presence had grounded him through even the darkest of days. Edging himself fractionally toward her side he felt contact before she leaned into him. The ghost of a smile playing across her lips. It was so subtle no one had a clue but for them the simple assurance, the slight physical contact was enough to keep both their broken hearts beating for another day. _

_The truck stopped at a camp surrounded by barbed wire. Jumping off the tailgate, his eyes trailed toward the entrance where a few silent, pale faces clutched onto the fence; their fingers bleeding without thought. They stared straight ahead, eyes black and devoid of life, jaws slack and teeth yellow. Their cheeks were hollow and gray, they were filthy and smelled of disease. Pulling a handkerchief over his nose he took up the position of rear guard. As Easy forged its way into Germany, they had begun to hear rumors of the things so terrible no one wanted to believe it was true. The Nazis were rounding people up and exterminating them in ovens…the Nazis were doing experiments on human beings….men, women and children were being lined up and shot. They all talked about it but it seemed too horrific to be true. _

"_Liebgott….Liebgott…" He felt his heart sink. It was Lipton, he looked shaken. The trepidation in his chest began to build until he felt like he was going to be strangled. "Major Winters needs you up front." Of course he did, when it was time to translate they always came looking for him. Passing Webster he shot a hard look at the man; he only spoke the language when it suited him. Not him though, oh no, everyone knew his German was nearly perfect and more often than not he found himself the link between some babbling Kraut and an irate Officer. _

_There were dead bodies rotting all over the place; bugs crawling out of their eyes and ears. The people that were still alive could barely stand upright as some of them crawled on their hands and knees. He didn't look at them; he couldn't….staring at Major Winters he waited. The Officer gestured toward a man standing with them in striped clothing; he seemed healthier than some others as his eyes could still focus despite the abject hopelessness behind them. The man stared at him as he translated Winter's questions. _

_No they were not criminals….Yes they were all sick, Typhoid most likely….It was a labor camp….For the 'Slight'?….Enemies of the Nazi Party?….No, they were normal people he said….Musicians, artists, chefs….Judin. _

_He knew the translation but he couldn't make his mouth say the word. Jews….they were fucking Jews. Those "people" that the Nazis were rounding up, experimenting on, sending to ovens, and executing in the streets were Jews. The sickening sweet smell of rotting fruit were Jews decomposing in the spring sun. Would he have smelled like that ? Did he smell like that now and just not realize ? His eyes wandered over to a young kid…a teenager maybe.. clutching onto an older man that had been dead for days. Taking a deep breathing his head began to spin. The prisoner he had been talking to had wandered away yelling and pointed at one of the rail cars. Turning on his heel he vaguely heard Winters yelling after him but he didn't care. Moving faster and faster he burst through the crowd at the gate before he began to heave behind the truck. _

Inhaling deeply he lifted his head off the railing. He smelled salty sea air and exhaust but in his mind he would never stop smelling THAT smell. The camp was called _Kaufering, _he later learned it was a subdivision of a larger camp named Dachau. If he thought what he knew at Kaufering was unbearable it only got worse as they learned more. Not hundreds or thousands but millions of Jews had been systematically rounded up and exterminated at the hands of the Nazis as far as back as the 1930s. And no one had a fucking clue. Entire families were wiped out like they had never existed at all, their homes ransacked, their lives erased like in the blink of an eye. And the more he learned the angrier he became until one day that anger nearly cost him everything.

_It took him weeks to find the Kommadant but when he did he only had one thing on his mind. Killing that Nazi fuck as slow as humanly possible. When Easy company finally moved into Austria he found a man in town that told him the Kommadant was hiding in a cabin out in the woods. He had seen a picture of the fat fuck while Nixon went through the 'offices' at Kaufering and took the opportunity to burn his portly face, double chin, and twisted smirk into the back of his mind. Every night he saw that face before he went to bed and every morning he felt the urge kill him more and more. Was it right ? Hell no. Was it smart? Not even close. But nothing he had done since jumping into Normandy was right or smart so why the fuck would this be any different. _

_Webster protested causing a holy ruckus when he found out where they were going. Sisk was silent although he could tell his brother had some serious reservations about the vendetta he was hell bent on carrying out. The only person who was ready without question was her. She had been by his side for this entire war and she wasn't going to stop now. Swallowing hard he nearly got choked up as her pretty face stared back at him with unwavering determination. This wasn't her fight, but she was there beside him all the same. He'd never had someone like that in his life. He should have said no right then and there; they'd made it to the end and he wasn't putting anyone else's life in jeopardy over his own anger. But he didn't….he couldn't….no matter how dangerous it was, he couldn't…just COULDN'T leave Europe until he made it right. _

_So they went, just him and her. They found the cabin and the Kommadant easy enough but what they didn't count on were the two SS Officers hiding in the upstairs bedroom. He heard her scream before the world went black. When he woke up he was tied to a chair…she was nearly naked…he was bleeding from the nose and mouth. They had her jacked up against a wall, two of them because he knew damn well one didn't stand a chance against her, they were ripping her clothes off. He pulled on the rope so hard his wrists bled, the pain nothing compared to watching what they were about to do to her. The chair splintered under his effort as he charged toward them the blunt force of a bullet stopping him cold._

_They both survived thanks to Sisk and the rest of the Company storming through the door and shooting both those pricks in the head. He saw her later in the hospital; woke up with her sitting next to him in bed. How she could even stand to be near him was beyond understanding. He hated himself for what he did, hated what almost happened to her because of him, and hated that his anger almost killed them both. No matter how many Nazis he killed he could never make it right and he knew that now. Not many people understood him, or cared to really know, but she did and she trusted him only for hm to shit all over that. _

_He was leaving before her; going back to the States for rehab while she rejoined the Company. The first time they would be apart since Toccoa and it killed him. But maybe it was for the best; after all that had happened he thought she was better off without him. Still, he promised her that when it was all said and done and this shit was over he would meet her back home. _

'_I'll wait for you everyday at noon in Golden Gate Park.' Tears came to his eyes, he couldn't say no. So he cupped her cheek and nodded despite believing he wasn't worth the time of day where she was concerned. He was back in San Francisco a few weeks before her; he knew Easy was home when he saw Christenson in full uniform wandering around the rail depot looking like he didn't recognize home anymore. His family was waiting of course as he saw the happy reunion himself before his passenger in the backseat pounded on the window ordering him to hurry the hell up. _

_Everyday he was home he went to Golden Gate Park at noon and parked the cab. He never went in, though, he sat there for an hour and then he drove away like the piece of garbage he was. She didn't need him and shouldn't want him. And no matter how much his heart ached for her he couldn't do it. He couldn't hurt her anymore than he already had. So he left her there waiting day after day. _

Stepping up onto the bottom of the railing he leaned forward at the waist, his hands still gripped the cold metal. Looking down at the cold water swirling beneath the bridge he wondered how much it would hurt if he just jumped; ended it all right now and hit the gray abyss face first. As a kid he heard of people jumping off the bridge all the time; mostly stories kids told one another to get a rise. One time he even saw the guys from Crissy Field hauling one out of the water, he remember that he just stared. He couldn't understand it and didn't understand it even more after going to war and watching his brothers beg for their fucking lives. But after Bastogne and Haguenau, after Landsberg…_Kaufering…_and after her jacked up against the wall, naked and bleeding all because of him….well he finally understood it. He knew why and how ending it all seemed like the better option. Before the war he would have puked if he had seen himself now. But he got here somehow, and maybe to understand that he would need to go back to the start.

* * *

**Camp Toccoa, Georgia 1942**

The hot summer sun beat down on his back as he stood at attention his rifle held stiffly against his shoulder. He was in the second squad of Easy Company which meant he stood in the second row when they lined up. Usually the poor bastards up front got the brunt of the abuse but no one was really safe from Sobel. For just a moment he dared allow his eyes to drift toward their CO. Thankfully for him Sobel's gaze was averted toward the ground, his head nodding back and forth in an imaginary conversation he was having with himself. "_Christ…" _

Just this morning Sobel had hit him over the head with his rusty bayonet and the company had to run Currahee because of it. His legs hurt, his back hurt, shit he didn't even know he had hurt. Taking in a deep breath he hoped his legs weren't shaking so bad that Sobel noticed.

"I have some very…" Sobel pinched his lips together looking at the sky for some kind of divine assistance. "Some very bad news." He felt his stomach clench. Bad news for Sobel meant a long fucking day for the rest of them. "The United States Army has seen fit to install a select group of women into combat units." He stopped looking at the men for any sort of reaction. Their desire to avoid falling into his trap far outweighing the effort it took to keep a straight face. He began to pace back and forth his hands fixed tightly behind his back. "I tried….I really tried to keep this distraction….this unfortunate arrangement… out of my Company." Liebgott swallowed hard, they were getting a female in the unit and while he didn't really give a fuck about it he did care that now Sobel had one more reason to beat their ass. Looking straight through the company toward the rear his eyes landed on someone. Pointing toward something nobody had the balls to look at, he motioned his finger toward the front.

Between the men a slightly more petite frame emerged. He couldn't see her face but that didn't stop him from looking. Her hair was dark brown and pulled into a low bun; she looked athletic and strong; nothing like most of the women he knew. Sobel beckoned her to stand in front of him at attention which she did.

"Name…"

"Bennett, Lucille M." Sobel looked down his nose at her as a smirk came to his face.

"Bennett you are a waste of my time….a waste of the Army's time. Anyone with half a brain knows you won't make it." He laughed like the dick he was. "Paratroopers are the best and my Company is the best and you have no place in either." She stood silent in front of him. "Why are you here ?"

"I want to be in the Airborne Sir. I think I can save some lives Sir !" Sobel looked at her mockingly. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a strap looking device with a metal windlass attached. Joe snuck a look; never having seen anything like it before.

"This….This…" Sobel held the strap up high shaking it like it was the most vile piece of contraband he ever laid eyes on. "This piece of shit strap is why she is here. Why our Company is now weaker. Why I need to watch all of you even closer." Sobel brought the device down to look at it again. "She thinks she can stop a man from bleeding out with this, she thinks it makes her deserve to be here with us….and the United States Military agrees…" He paused for dramatic effect. "But I don't agree." Looking over the men and waited for their reaction but again they gave him none. "What do you call this thing Private Bennett ?"

"A Combat Tourniquet Sir !" He regarded the device briefly before throwing it at her face. To her credit she didn't flinch.

"I call it bullshit." Sobel put his hands on his hips as he took stock of the Company. "Since we are now weaker because of her….we will have to work twice as hard from here on out." Turning back toward the mountain in the distance, Liebgott felt his heart sink. "Change into PT gear…we are running Currahee…" The men began to scatter back toward their tents as he yelled in her face "Hi Ho Silver !"

Joe could barely feel his legs as he chugged up the mountain for the second time today. Fuck her and her bullshit; one more reason for Sobel to ride their assess into the ground. Just perfect. She was in front of him a few lengths; in full uniform having not yet been issued PT gear. Sobel was in the front ranting and raving as usual. Ahead of him he saw her trip and go down to one knee; figures….just getting started and already couldn't make it. The other men parted and went around her not wanting Sobel to catch them giving her any help. Jogging up to her Liebgott stopped holding his hand down. She looked up at him and for a second he froze, not even remembering how to breath. She was one of the best goddamn things he had ever seen. Dark brown hair, light blue eyes, and smile to die for. Swallowing the cotton in his mouth he took a deep breath remembering where he was. This only made things worse and he wasn't about to let himself fall end over end into something he didn't want, need, or frankly understand. So he did what he had done his entire life and the reason why he stopped to help her in the first place; he was an asshole plain and simple, faster she knew it the better off both of them would be.

"Joe Liebgott…." She relaxed at the prospect of someone having her back already.

"Lucy Bennett…" Wrapping her hand around his, he began to pull her up before yanking his hand letting her fall back on her ass. Looking up at him in confusion she was about to open her mouth but her cut her off.

"Quit now and save us all a lot of trouble….You don't belong here." Trotting off to rejoin the Company, Joe didn't look back once. He had already seen enough to know he was in big trouble.

**TBC…let me know what you guys think !**


	2. My Honor

"**Golden Gate Park" **

**Author: **carmen_085

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any Band of Brothers characters. All original characters in this belong to me

**Summary: **He stared down at the dark, swirling water under the bridge. He couldn't sleep, barely ate, and didn't dare close his eyes. They were always there; the men who lived, the men who died, and her. In the beginning she was nothing but before he knew she had become everything. Liebgott x OC

**Author's Note:** Never wrote for Band of Brothers, didn't even know people wrote for this until a few weeks ago. Enjoy! And let me know what you think

**Chapter Two **

**Camp Toccoa Georgia, 1942**

She could hear the commotion from the mess hall across the lawn in her tent. Exhaling deeply she looked around the solitary living arrangement as her fingers absently played with the frayed cotton blanket. It had been one week; she had made it one week. One week of brutal physical training, one week of scrutinizing stares, one week of dubious hums and huffs, and one week of Sobel riding her ass non stop. She knew when she signed on the dotted line giving her life and liberty to the United States of America that it was going to be anything but easy. She knew the men would not be happy, she knew Officers would ride her, she knew her knees and her back and every last part of her fucking body would ache beyond reproach. But what she didn't count on was how lonely and isolating it would be. They had each other, she had no one but herself. Most of them weren't outwardly hostile, a few had made their feelings know, but the vast majority avoided her like the plague; afraid of both what she stood for and what Sobel would do to them. Fraternizing with a future wash out was what he called it before revoking Luz's weekend pass. More like fraternizing with the enemy.

One year ago Lucy Bennett was a Nurse in San Francisco. Six months before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, a doctor came to her and asked her if she would be willing to try something new. Daniel Carney had been a medic in the Great War; came back to the US and went to Medical School with money the Army gave him upon discharge He had an idea to take medical care into the streets; to the people and the places where injury and illness occurred. He knew that many men benefitted from having him there during combat, at the point of injury, to give immediate treatment. His idea had been beyond its time, but as telephones began to pop up in every home and business in the early 1940s, he thought maybe his dream might have a chance to become reality. So he began to look for someone to take with him out into then streets to start this revolutionary concept. But there was no one. All the medics from the Great War had come back and taken up trade professions, all the doctors who never went to war thought he was nuts, and all the nurses stood there and stared at him without a clue. Until Lucy Bennett.

It was pouring down rain, the sky illuminated a dark shade of gray. He heard a commotion near the emergency entrance and at first thought nothing of it. It was not out of the ordinary to have an injured patient stumble through the front doors, bloodied and broken laying on the white tile. But when Dr. Daniel Carney looked again he realized that a crowd of nurses had gathered at the door staring at something. Pushing through the sea of white, his eyes landed on Lucy Bennett. He knew her well enough, she was smart, attentive, and capable albeit still somewhat inexperienced. The young nurse was in the street, alone, as a man had been shot several times and was bleeding badly. Bennett's white dress was stained pink as blood washed into the sewer. Her hair was soaking wet and matted to the sides of her face as she ripped off pieces of her apron, stuffing them in various bullet holes. Carney stood in complete astonishment as he watched her white stocking knee press into man's bloody groin wound while both hands frantically stuffed his belly full of cotton. He hadn't seen anything like it since the War, and at that time nurses weren't trained to act in such a way without the direction of a physician. She was acting purely on instinct. That was something that could never be taught. So that very day he convinced Lucy to join him in a revolutionary concept to bring medicine into the streets.

Standing, Lucy went to the doorway pushing it open. The day Dr. Carney found her in the street stuffing her apron into a stranger and holding pressure on his femoral artery with her knee; that day she had no clue what she was doing. She just knew it needed to be done. She had no clue if she could do this; be a paratrooper, follow these men into combat, and try to make sure they all come home. She really didn't know if she could do it but just like that day in the street she knew it needed to be done.

A fine sheen of mist and rain coated her as she stepped into the mess hall. Taking a tray she tried not to look into anyone's eyes. She knew they would come around eventually. Holding her plate out she nodded her thanks to the cooks as she caught sight of Winters standing behind them. As always he acknowledged her with same nod of respect he used for the men. Returning the gesture she managed a small smile letting him know how much she valued his acknowledgement. Winters was a good man, and one who she respected the day they met. Looking down at the heaping plate of spaghetti she felt her stomach grumble as she turned back toward the crowded tables. A few of them looked at her, most of them inhaled noodles at an alarming rate. Looking down at her own tray she moved silently toward the door. It would come eventually; she knew that, until then she would keep her head down, do her job, and keep moving. Never, ever stop moving. Her daddy told her that after they buried her mama from cancer two summers ago. Her mama heard those words and she stopped; it didn't take long after that.

"Hey…Lucy. Where you going?" Looking up, her eyes landed on Eugene Roe. Smiling easily at her, he pointed toward the open seat across from him and another medic in the company named Spina. The three of them had already been grouped together to establish the company aide station at Toccoa, which Sobel expected to be "the finest aide station" in all of Georgia. Roe was from Louisiana, half cajun, soft spoken and confident. The three of them ate in silence as just being invited was enough for Lucy to consider progress made. "Any of them come around ?"

Meeting his eyes briefly she shook her head. "No. Not yet." Swirling a forkful of spaghetti she shrugged not wanting anyone to feel sorry for her. "They will."

Roe forced a smile as he nodded, "I know." Next to him Spina slurped the last of his noodles as he let out a snort.

"I sure am glad it's raining outside today." Lucy smiled faintly before looking back to her plate. Rain, big spaghetti dinner…likely meant no Currahee. It was almost too good to be true considering the company had been up and down the mountain everyday this week. Chewing on the roll Lucy averted her gaze. Everyday this week because of her…of course. Sobel wasn't stupid; he didn't want her here. But he couldn't get rid of her, not outright anyway. What he could do was force the men to hate her and all the misery she brought upon them. Make them ostracize her. Make them see that she was a parasite; only taking from the Company, never giving. He could abuse her body and her mind and drive her to the point of exhaustion and frustration and complete isolation. But there was one thing he couldn't make her do…The doors slammed open as Lucy . Sobel stood there, his eyes immediately landing on her. Staring back at him she didn't blink. He couldn't make her quit. No matter how hard he tried, she was the only one who could ring that bell and he knew it. If she could take it, she would make it

Sneering he turned back toward the men. "Orders have changed ! Lectures are cancelled." Lucy felt her stomach tighten. "Easy Company is running up Currahee ! MOVE !" Moving toward the front of the room he eyed Winters, a glint of victory in his eye. "Three miles up, three miles down. Heigh Ho Silver !"

Scrambling toward the door Lucy felt someone push her from behind. Liebgott eyed her with contempt as he snorted, "Hope you didn't eat too much, honey." She didn't take the bait and just kept moving her eyes staring straight ahead. Persisting, he yelled after her. "Thanks for nothing, Bennett." Marching toward her tent she kept moving putting one foot in front of the other.

* * *

**San Francisco, November 1945 **

Pulling his jacket tighter around his body he shivered. Cold mist fell from the sky dampening his hair as a few strands fell in his eyes. Stopping he leaned against a brick building closing his eyes to light a cigarette. A street trolley rumbled down Market as the ground shook under his feet. Behind his eyelids he saw Tipper, bleeding, foot still smoking stumbling toward him. Snapping his eyes open he saw the brick of the building as his heart clenched. The trolley blew its horn and pulled out as he visibly jumped back, the cigarette falling out of his mouth. Swallowing hard he sucked air in as he leaned forward. Jesus fucking Christ, he needed to get a grip.

His cigarette floated in a puddle at his feet as he stood back up pulling the pack from his breast pocket, this time keeping his eyes wide open as he lit up. Once the smoke was tucked safely between his lips, he reached for something else. Taking a turn in the alleyway he walked with no particular destination in mind. When he wasn't driving the cab during the day he walked. Taking the flask out he didn't bother trying to hide it as he tipped it back in the comforting anonymity of darkness. The whiskey cut away at the back of his throat as he felt a familiar clenching deep in his gut. After three years of knowing exactly what to do and where to be and who you were with, Joe didn't know where he belonged anymore. Maybe that was because he didn't belong anywhere. He was sure that after the war he would belong with her but then he went and fucked that all up. Taking another swig of liquor he looked up, the city lights not quite strong enough to block out what he wanted to see.

'_We haven't been apart since Toccoa…I don't think I really know how to do this without you.' She looked down sheepishly before meeting his eyes once again. Studying her in the moonlight he smiled before gently running his fingers through her long brown hair. Looking up at the sky he marveled that it was the same sky he had been looking at all his life. It didn't change from San Francisco to Toccoa, New York, England or France. It was the same sky that he stared at in Bastogne after Skip died wondering if there was someplace better up there. And it was the same sky he looked at from Kaufering as he stood outside that barbed wire fence, the pleas and echoes of agony only he could understand, wondering if there was a God at all. And now here in Austria, a place of incredible, serene beauty where, for the first time, he contemplated the possibility of life after the war. _

_Licking his lips he looked at her before looking back up at the sky, "No matter what happens…or how far apart we are…all you need to do is look up at the sky." She smiled at him before following his gaze upward. His voice was quiet and sincere when he spoke again. "Every night at midnight I'll meet you at the North Star." _

Spinning around the alley the sky blurred into a mess of black and white streaks. "North Star….North Star…North Star…" The words were slurred as he stumbled backwards.

A pair of rough hands shoved Joe forward as his uncoordinated legs tangled together sending him the ground. "Watch where the fuck you're going….lousy drunk…" His eyes snapped open as he saw a larger man walking away from him. A familiar anger boiled up inside of him as he hurled the first thing his fingers found toward the receding figure.

"Piece of shit. You don't know who you're talking to…." The bottle shattered at the stranger's feet as Joe pushed himself up reaching in his boot for a trench knife that wasn't there anymore. Recovering he raised his fists as the man began stalking towards him. The alcohol making his mouth continue to move, "I'm a goddamned paratrooper…" The man swung hitting him in the mouth, his reflexes considerably diminished.

"You're nothing but a piece of shit….don't nobody care what you did over there…" Winding up he hit Joe again making his vision flash black to white as he hit the ground with a sickening thud.

* * *

**Camp Toccoa, Georgia 1942**

Joe's vision flashed back to white as he felt the back of his mouth water in the worst possible way. He was going to be sick, falling to the back of the formation he sidestepped Hoobler as he ducked behind a bush. Sobel was, thank God, in front screaming at Randleman about taking an ambulance to the Washout tent. He knew it was too good to be true.. the spaghetti, the lecture, the whole fucking day was nothing but a trick.

"You good, Lieb?" Hoobler slowed a bit as Liebgott waved him on.

"Yeah…Go. Before he sees…" Hoobler nodded before sprinting off. Bending over Liebgott put his hands on his knees as he broke out into a cold sweat the spaghetti heaving out of his stomach. His head spun as the frightening realization that he might pass out dawned on him. Anyone who needed any sort of aide on Currahee was automatically bounced from the Airborne. Not a rule of the Army but a rule of Herbert M. Sobel. His breathing became ragged as he swayed on his feet, his knees shaking. This was so stupid…so…

The world flashed black to white a he felt a cool hand on his forehead. His mother, he thought of his mother laying her hand on his forehead when he was sick. The next thing he felt was someone easing him to the ground. "I'm going to pass out…He's going to get rid of me…I can't…" He inwardly cringed at how weak he sounded.

"It's ok. I've got you." Her soft voice comforted him in a way that no one had since he was young child. Carefully she laid him back lifting his legs up in the air until the blood redistributed itself back to his head. Lucy saw the Company turn the bend out of sight as she placed Joe's legs back down. The color had returned to his face as he stared at her unblinking.

"Why did you stop ?You know what it means if he catches you…". Pushing himself back to a seated position, Joe tried to distract her from the fact that only moments ago he was blubbering like a baby.

Standing up Lucy held her hand out, "He already hates me….so what's the difference?" Joe looked at her hand suspiciously. She rolled her eyes at him smiling as he felt a certain tumbling in his chest that he was certain had nothing to do with dehydration. "I won't drop you…" It took him a moment to realize that she was teasing him after he dropped her on her own ass only a few days ago. Swallowing hard he looked at her before pushing himself up. He was so embarrassed with himself at that moment for not only how weak he just was but also that he ever doubted her intentions or abilities in the Airborne. He was embarrassed that he harassed her for nothing more than to be a part of the boys club and to protect himself from their maniacal CO. But more than that he was embarrassed that he wanted to protect himself from feeling something for someone who had just as good a chance of never coming home as he did.

Ducking his head he trotted off toward the Company without another word. Shaking her head Lucy tucked her hand back to her side as she ran after him not saying another word as they quickly made it to the back of the pack before Sobel noticed they were gone. In the rear Lipton made brief eye contact with Lucy before pushing back toward the front. Putting his head down Liebgott realized that Lip had covered the back ready to distract or fend off Sobel until they got back. They were a team…all of them… including her.

For the rest of the week Liebgott avoided her not making a single comment; good, bad or otherwise. Not that she was looking for him or pining for his attention as the majority of her time had been filled with medical training and continuing to build the aide station. They didn't need an aide station as there was a full service hospital only five miles away. Yet Sobel demanded it as a demonstration of "their organizational skills".

The sun had finally gone down as the cooler night temperatures were a welcome reprieve. Shouldering her pack and straightening her ODs she grabbed her helmet off the bed. It was Friday night, that meant the twelve mile march. She had been drinking plenty of water all day as she had heard that Sobel forbid any water during the march. Last Friday the march had been cancelled due to a lightning storm much to the delight of the men. Falling into back of the line up next to Roe and Spina she looked straight ahead at Winters who pursed his lips. Checking his watch he did a sweep of the camp for any stragglers before giving the order to fall out.

While other Companies were enjoying their weekend passes in town, Easy Company was marching through the back woods of Georgia. Throughout the week most of the men had lost their weekend passes for one reason or another and those that remained lost them this morning because of Lucy and the simple fact that she made them weak. She had survived another day of Sobel and for that alone everyone needed to be punished.

The march itself was uneventful and after going up and down Currahee she found the twelve miles go by faster than she thought. The men were quiet for the most part, Winters keeping them focused on the task at hand with his steady encouragement. Randleman piped up near the end asking why Captain Sobel hated them so much that they were the only Company out here marching in the pitch dark again. Winters was silent for a moment as Lucy felt her chest go tight wondering who would speak her name first, but the men were silent. Most of them knew they would have been out here marching with or without her; the rest respected Winters and knew that he put team above all else. Jibes that fell out of the side of someone's mouth in the mess hall were one thing; direct attacks in front of an Officer was quite another. With a smirk Winters informed Randleman that Sobel did not hate Easy Company he just hated him. The men laughed as the tightness in her chest dissipated. Looking toward Winters , she first met Liebgott's gaze as he was further down her line. For a second she thought he was going to say something to the contrary of Winters, just loud enough for her to hear, of course. But then the corner of his lip tugged up ever so slightly before he turned away. Lingering her gaze toward him for a moment she turned back to stare straight ahead shaking her head slightly before looking back again wondering if she had imagined that.

Two weeks ago Christenson had drank from his canteen and Sobel forced him to repeat the march alone. This Friday canteens poured onto the ground as their CO paced back and forth waiting to find an offending party to punish. When it became evident that no one had drank a drop a darkness came over Sobel's face. Standing in front of them with his hands on his hips he nodded his head before his gaze settled on her.

"Bennett front and center…." When there was no was no one to punish, he would always have her to abuse. Reluctantly Lucy moved to the front of the formation knowing whatever was to come next would not be good. Sobel licked his thin lips before looking down at her… "Private Bennett why are you here ?"

"Because I want to be in the Airborne SIR!" She didn't hesitate knowing her fate had already been sealed. He nodded although clearly not believing her. Behind him Winter's face screwed up in anger yet he could do nothing.

"Right Private Bennett….And you think that this contraption…tourniquet…whatever it is…You think it will do any good?" That Tourniquet had been days and nights of thinking and trying, sewing and strapping; it was something a little boy died for and another one lived because of. A device borne out of need that she was sure would work in combat. And no matter how much control Sobel thought he had over her; she wouldn't let him shit all over something she worked so hard for.

Eyeing him she didn't flinch as he stepped close enough that she could smell his strange cologne. "I know it will do some good, Sir." Her voice was low and serious and behind Sobel's sneer she saw Winters nod ever so slightly. Taking a step back Sobel must have expected her to cower under his presence. Looking out over the men then back to her he shook his head side to side.

"Private Bennett has lied to me…. twice." Sobel's gaze squared on her again. "And I don't like liars. So she will repeat all twelve miles of the march immediately." Lucy felt her back spasm at the thought but still she remained upright and unflinching in front of him. If she could take what he gave her, she would make it. She was the only person who could give up and giving up wasn't something she did. "FALL OUT!" He screamed in her face as she filled up her canteen and walked back down the road alone in the dark. Behind her she heard a few of the men protest as Sobel was quick to silence them.

"Anyone who wants to be chivalrous is welcome to join her…." No one moved but their eyes never left her retreating frame.

Joe laid in bed staring up at the ceiling. The men around him were asleep their soft snores echoing around the bunkhouse. Crickets chirped outside as he readjusted himself for the tenth time. While his body was exhausted, aching and tired his mind continued to turn at a rapid pace. Lucy was out there marching though the night alone and it bothered him. She had done nothing wrong and yet she still suffered. She took the punishment willingly, happily because she believed in what she was doing here, she believed in the men even when they didn't believe in her. She was a better person than him; that he knew straight off the bat. He was here for money and to be the best; she was here to change the world….to save the lives of soldiers not just now but also for years to come. And she believed in that so much she was willing to see it through no matter what the cost.

The sky turned pink and purple as Lucy came wearily back to camp. No one was waiting for her as she placed her canteen, still full, in the muster area. Stepping into her solitary tent she shut the screen door behind her as she began to shed gear. Her feet throbbed in her boots but it was too much work to pull them off. Flopping into bed still in her muddy OD pants and t-shirt she felt herself drift toward sleep.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she heard the screen door of her tent creak open again. She was too tired to look as she figured it was probably Lipton or another one of the sergeants making sure she arrived back in one piece. Sleepily she replied, "My canteen is in the muster area if you want to check it." Footsteps came closer to her bed.

"You just won't give up…." Sobel….in a second she was bolt upright in bed. Swinging her legs over the side, a sudden surge of fear shot through her. None of the men were allowed in here; his orders to ensure they didn't "get mixed up in some unfortunate accusations".

Stammering she looked up at him, her reflexes and brain seriously impaired from hours of physical exertion. "You….you aren't supposed to be in here."

His eyes were dark as he cocked his head at her inquisitively. Lucy felt her heart pound in her chest. When she entered the Army they made her well aware that this was a man's world and any whisper of sexual harassment would be met with her swift end. She had earned her place to be here but that didn't mean they felt her to be irreplaceable. They wanted no trouble, no bad publicity, no bullshit. Making an accusation against an Officer, her Commander no less, would be a sure ticket home. Swallowing hard she stared at him as he stepped closer.

"Do you know what the Nazis will do to you if they capture you?" He stepped closer so that now he was between her legs. She kept her gaze trained upward hoping that he didn't see the fear in her eyes. "Do you know what they will do to those men because of you…". Putting his hands on his hips he shook his head, "I tried…I tried to make them see…tried to make you see."

Hedging her bets Lucy tried to get up and around him. Grabbing her by the shoulders he pushed her back onto the bed roughly ripped her sweat stained paratrooper t-shirt over her head. Involuntarily she let out a scream as he pinned her down, holding both arms above her head with all his weight. His hot breath tickled her face as she bucked her hips trying to throw him to the side. "The Nazis aren't going to be as nice as I am either…" Her chest heaved with anxiety as she continued to wiggle underneath him. "Tell me Bennett…what does your mother think of her daughter running off to jump in a foxhole with a bunch of horny, dirty men.." Lucy stopped moving under him long enough to meet his perverted gaze.

"My mother is dead you sick Fuck." They were silent for a moment, unmoving as they squared off. He ready to take what he wanted and her unwilling to give up no matter what the cost.

Stepping out of his own tent, Joe lit up a cigarette staring at the deep purple and pink of the sky. He hadn't slept at all last night. She had put her ass on the line to help him and because of it he as still here. However, when it was time to return that favor he was a coward as usual. Taking a deep breath he blew smoke out in front of him as he walked toward her tent. He didn't know what he was going to say but he was sure the it would sound ridiculous coming from him. He needed her to know, though, that he believed in her and what she was doing here. He needed her to know that he saw her, really saw her, and what she stood for and what a fool he had been.

Everyone knew it was rule that nobody went in her tent. Not hers, but Sobel's of course. As dawn began to creep down Currahee he reasoned he had at least ten minutes before anyone else would be up. Throwing the cigarette to the ground his picked up a strange sound as he stepped up pushing the screen door open.

Hearing the creaking of the door Sobel froze. Looking over his shoulder he released her arm just enough that she was able to push him back. Takin his eyes off of her she pulled her right arm back far enough to hit him directly in the face causing the CO to fall off the edge of the bed onto the floor with a hard oof. Lucy couldn't quite believe that just happened as her eyes quickly darted to the doorway where Liebgott stood staring at her speechless. Wiping her bloody nose with the back of her hand she stumbled off the bed pulling her t-shirt over her head before pushing past him out the door breaking into a run.

On the ground Sobel stood up, his right eye already swelling and turning a shade of purple. Not meeting Liebgott's stare he whipped a white hankie out of his pocket as he dabbed his eye. "I thought I made myself clear, Private, when I said no man will ever be in these quarters…"

Joe swallowed hard as he stared at Sobel, who still refused to meet his gaze. His mind had finally caught up to understanding what he had just seen. Clearing his throat he spoke before he thought, "Every man except for you, Sir."

Sobel stopped what he was doing to look at him briefly before averting his gaze toward the door. "Latrine duty for the foreseeable future, Liebgott. Report at 0930 and I will be watching." Straightening himself the CO walked past Joe toward the door.

"She's going to make it…." Sobel stopped but didn't turn around as Liebgott stared at the back of his head. "And nothing you do will stop her. She's going to see this all the way through. I believe in her." Funny how easy and eloquent the words came out when he was taking to anyone but her.

Joe saw his shoulders tense before he shut the door behind him and walked away. His goal was to make them hate her but in reality he was doing just the opposite.

Lucy ran and didn't look back. Her legs were numb as she skirted past the bunkhouses of Dog and Charlie company and headed toward the woods on the north end of the camp. Shaking her right hand she became gradually aware of the ache in her knuckles; Sobel's face had been like punching a rock but shit did it feel good. Under any other circumstances she would be in military prison right now for assaulting an Officer, but given the nature of the interaction and his initiation she doubted much would come of it. Her chest burned as she sucked in air falling to her knees and crawling under the fence. A few days ago when Sobel ordered her to march the entire perimeter of the camp and draw him a map by memory she had found a weak spot in the fence. Following the dirt path she ended up at a pond completely encircled by high reeds and cattails. Collapsing into the high grass she allowed herself a moment of weakness as tears came to her eyes. No man had ever done anything like that to her before and if Liebgott hadn't walked in when he did she shuddered to think what might have happened. Liebgott…what had he been doing there in the first place ? Wiping her face she quietly pondered that question as she stared out at the placid water. Hugging her knees to her chest she bent her forehead down as she let her eyes slip closed.

* * *

Bending over the latrine Joe scrubbed quietly not minding this punishment one bit. This wasn't a deserved punishment; it was an earned punishment. He was here because he did the right thing and he didn't care the cost. Wiping the sweat from his forehead he began to replay the first pieces of a reel of terrible shit that he would see over and over again. Her on the bunk, no shirt shaking and resisting under Sobel's heavy body. Her with her belt undone and zipper down. Her bleeding from the nose and searching for her shirt; deep red bruises over her shoulders, back, and chest from carrying her pack for 24 miles. The mix of terror and embarrassment on her face as she pushed past him.

He looked for her afterwards but couldn't find her anywhere and knew that she most likely wouldn't want to see him anyway. Reporting for the latrines as ordered, he joined the crew assigned there already, until Sobel came by and told everyone else they were relieved and this was Liebgott's responsibility. Sobel had already developed a good shiner where she clocked him as Joe had to make a conscious effort to not smirk as the man stared at him daring him to make a move before leaving.

Lucy did her best to avoid everyone the rest of the day hanging in the back during PT and rifle drills. She had stole a glance or two looking for Liebgott but he was noticeably missing; instantly her stomach clenched in knots worried that Sobel had kicked him out just for seeing what he saw. But then just as she was on the verge of panic attack he appeared from the latrines carrying a mop and bucket and looking like a man who had just completed a hard day's work. Their eyes met briefly but before she could see the pity or disgust or worse yet resentment she looked away. Following the rest of the men into the classroom, she took a seat in the rear.

"Hey…Hey Frank. You see that shiner on Sobel?" She instantly straightened up at Luz's comment.

Perconte laughed, "Boy I would give anything to know who finally gave him what he deserved."

Just as he was about to open his mouth and say something raunchy Luz's eye caught her sitting stiffly in her chair. Taking in the sick look on her face he paused sitting back in his own chair lighting up another cigarette. Quietly he contemplated the bruising one her nose as an unsettling thought came to mind.

"Hey doll…you ok ?" It took her a moment to realize Luz was talking to her. Forcing a smile she nodded at him not saying a word afraid her voice would betray her. Staring at her for a moment he nodded as Nixon came in slamming the door behind him.

The group quieted although Lucy became aware of Luz's scrutinizing stare and the thoughts that were inevitably turning in his head. Closing her eyes for a moment she wished that Liebgott was here. Snapping her eyes open she wondered where the hell that thought came from. Swallowing hard she stared at the front her mind a million miles away.

She had managed to stay away from her bunk all day despite being dead tired. Roe took one look at her in the aide station and directed her to a cot in the back behind a curtain.

"That march really took it out of you…" She nodded not wanting to explain any further. "Catch a few winks… I'll run interference if anyone's looking for you." Smiling she thanked him before laying down. Still she wasn't able to sleep. As darkness fell she trudged toward her bunk, dread filling her that Sobel would be back to finish what he started.

Joe sat on the steps of her bunkhouse, a cigarette perched between his fingers. She slept here because Sobel said so, but now they both had one up on him. A rare advantage no one else in Easy had yet to accomplish. Joe looked up at her as she approached him hesitantly.

"I don't need you to feel bad for me, Joe." Stepping around him she swung the door open. Throwing the cigarette onto the ground he followed her not caring that he was in violation again.

"I don't feel bad for you." Standing in front of him she wrung her hands nervously, clear to both of them that she didn't want to be in here anymore than he wanted to leave her here. "Come on." She looked around not having the energy to fight him. Lucy followed him out out the door, pausing on the stairs frozen.

Turning around Joe looked at her his head cocked to the side. "I don't want you to get in trouble over me. You're already in trouble because of me…". Snorting a light laugh, he took two steps back toward her reaching for her hand. Taking it in his own he stood there for a moment his heart and mind catching up to the sensation traveling up his arm. Looking at her, he smirked as he pulled her off the stairs and toward his own bunkhouse taking note of the fact she had yet to pull away.

The raucous laughter from inside the building made her heart pound as Joe pulled her up the stairs only letting go of her hand once they were inside the door. Her sudden appearance made a hush fall over the twelve men inside the long room. Swallowing she scanned their faces; Christenson, Webster, Toye, Guarnere, Wynn, Martin, Luz, Perconte, Malarkey, Muck, Talbert, and of course Liebgott. From the back of the room, Joe Toye stepped forward toward her. Toye was a soft spoken, hard working, tough as the steel Philadelphian. He didn't say much but when he did speak everyone listened.

Walking up to Lucy he extended his hand. "I want to be the first man to shake the hand of the person who finally gave that prick what he deserved." Extending her hand they all watched in silence as she stared at Toye dumbfounded. Nodding Toye stared her right in the eye; he was a man of respect and right now he was giving the utmost to her. "Ma'am…it will be a privilege to go to War with you one day. And it would be my honor for you to take my bunk tonight."

Lucy shook her head. "The privilege will be mine, Joe." Letting go of his hand she raised her palm in deference. "I can't take your bed, though."

Next to her Liebgott spoke up, "Then you'll have mine…." Turning to him, her eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"Or mine…" Luz regarded her seriously as he nodded. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off.

"Or mine…" Muck smiled at her; he had the good looks and charm of a boy but the awareness of a man beyond his years.

"Or mine.." Malarkey winked at her from next to Muck.

"Shit doll…you don't want to put someone out; we can both get into mine…" Guarnere let out a loud laugh as the tension inside the building broke. The rest of the men dispersed as Lucy was suddenly overcome with an emotion she couldn't identify. Toye nodded to her seriously.

"I mean it. It would be my honor and I have feeling one day I'll be owing you more than I'll ever be able to repay…" She swallowed knowing what it meant to have someone like Joe Toye step up in your corner.

"Ok." Turing to Liebgott her cheeks flushed with sudden embarassment. Seeing this he shook his head.

"I didn't tell them. I just said that he was waiting for you when you got back from the march and was so mad you did it that he attacked you." He could see her relax. "The rest of it is yours…only yours…I'll never say a word about it."

"Thanks…" Meeting his eyes for the first time she suddenly realized how blue they were. Sucking in a sharp breath, "Why though ? Why are you doing this?"

His voice was low so that only she could hear. "Because I believe in you, Lucy Bennett. And I see you…I see what kind of person you are and what you're willing to lose for the rest of us. What you're willing to go through for what you believe in….I can see it and I can see you."

Lucy stood there staring at him. Her mind suddenly spinning with possibilities that she never even dreamed.

**TBC ! Please review !**


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